Even those most finicky about tying will admit that some flies just get better with each additional trout that frays them. (But those tiers won't admit to the contradiction.)
Newbies often travel down a path to some frustration- once they've got some tying under their belts, they begin to improvise. But 99% of their creations fail. The dry won't float, the dancer plows under, the shiner swims on its side, the legs foul, the fly sits on its head, etc.
A proven pattern is just that- proven. An unproven pattern is just...
There's more to a well designed fly than just looks.
Then again, sometimes a cigarette butt speared on a scud hook can bring in a lunker!
